Customer Reviews

Pocket History of the Church (IVP Pocket Reference Series the IVP Pocket Reference)

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This little book is packed solid with valuable perspective on church history by a master theologian. The preface alone is worth the price of the book as it provides sound reasoning why a study of church history is important to 21st century Christians.

I used this book for my Church History college class. It provides a good overview of the Christian church, highlighting key figures, councils, and beliefs throughout the various time periods. I appreciated the fact that I was able to read a chapter or two and have a good idea of what would be discussed more in-depth in my other textbooks for the class. Each chapter gave a good preview and quick look at each "era" in Christian history. The chapters are a fast read, and overall the book was enjoyable. Good value for a short summary of Christian history.

Very useful book for my studies. Book was clean, delivered promptly (sooner than I thought), excellent service from Amazon. More than I expected in this small but compact book of the history of the church. Excellent book for this course.

In short compass, Bingham gives a terrific overview of church history. Pocket History is especially strong on the early and medieval periods.

I'm taking an Intro to Christian History/Thought class and this book is a wonderful resource. It gives a great overview of the topics I need to understand making it more pleasant for me to learn the material. I really can't say how helpful this book has been!

I believe Christians need to read church history from time to time whether they want to or not - a strange thought for someone who formerly broke out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of church history. Thankfully, men like R.C. Sproul and John Hannah brought church history to life and awakened me from my dogmatic slumbers!

D. Jeffrey Bingham also has a passion for church history. Pocket History of the Church is a readable volume that circles the globe in less than 200 pages. He skillfully "skips" a handful of stones over the over the waters of church history, spanning from the 1st century to the present.

Part One - Diamonds: The Early Church

The author begins with an overview of the early church. The church fathers are explored and special emphasis is given to Ignatius. This hero of the Christian church "stepped into the ring" and pummeled the heresy of Docetism. Ignatius also spoke a great deal about unity in the church and sought with all his heart to bring like-minded believers together for the sake of the gospel.

Bingham summarizes a handful of important apologists of the 2nd century. He notes that while Rome threatened the church externally, false teachers were emerging within the church. Irenaeus fought against the heresy of Gnosticism and wrote five polemic books as a counter-punch. Additionally, Irenaeus battled Marcion in his Against Heresies.

The author surveys the Trinitarian and Christological controversies and places specific emphasis on key heretics such as Arius and important heroes such as Athanasius of Alexandria. He makes an observation that was true hundreds of years ago and equally true today: "Church leaders must first be the church's theologians." Tragically, many would disagree with his assertion and the church has and will continue to pay a steep price for neglecting the importance of theology.

Part Two - Emeralds: The Church in the Middle Ages

Bingham includes a helpful discussion that pertains to the rise of the papacy and the baggage that accompanied the power. He overviews Monasticism and the daily activity of the monk. He gives Scholasticism a fair treatment and also includes a general discussion concerning mysticism.

Part Three - Gold Sovereigns: The Church in the Protestant Reformation

Part three includes a broad survey of Reformation thought and history. Christian Humanism is contrasted with Scholasticism. The author spends a great deal of time (and rightly so) examining Luther's views on soteriology and ecclesiology.

Part Four - Chains of Spanish Silver: The Church in the Modern Era

Empiricism is contrasted with Rationalism and the views of various proponents are examined. Obviously, both views are seriously flawed. The author presents a quick summary statement that accurately confronts both worldviews: "We need to remember that faith is ultimately our submission to God's revelation."

The Great Awakenings and Revivals are examined. Thankfully, the author is quick to acknowledge the roles of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. He also delivers a necessary blow to Charles Finney who denied the bondage of the will and the substitutionary atonement of Christ.

Pocket History of the Church is a great way to survey the major movements throughout church history. For a more comprehensive treatment, I recommend Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley or Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine by John Hannah.

Covers the key issues of the church from the beginning, essentially identifying the issues and how they were resolved. As expected, it does not deal in depth with any issue in particular, you will have to go to other sources for that. Overall, a good introduction to the history of the church, leaving you with topics to investigate further if you wish

Christian Church History made easy is a summary of the church's history anyone can understand. It has an abundance of colored pictures and charts that creates a visual interest in the subject.The history of the church is an exciting story that every Christian ought to know.